More than 200 local people have written to the Council in support of introducing rules to limit the further growth of HMO’s in Oldfield Park.
This is an unusually high response to a local government survey. It is understood that by contrast there were a very small number of responses against new rules being introduced.
Cllr Will Sandry commented: “Local people want a mixed diverse community and that includes people living in HMOs. The balance has to be right and these rules will help deliver that balance.
I hope that Bath University and the Student Unions at both universities reflect on this response from the communities in which they are welcomed.
It is important to remember that these rules will not remove any existing HMOs. The rules will mean that planning permission will be required to convert a family home into an HMO in the future. The planning process will enable local people to have their say about what is and isn’t the right balance in their community.”
The Council intends to introduce planning restrictions which will see planning permission required for future changes of use from family houses into small HMOs across the City from 1st July 2013. It is also proposing that HMO landlords in areas with a large number of HMOs should be required to apply for a licence to help curb management and housing quality issues.
Next steps
- Public consultation on the detail of the additional HMO licencing scheme is due to be released in September 2012 for public consultation.
- The detail of the planning controls is due to be considered by Cabinet in October and launched for public consultation in October.
- A series of briefings and drop-in events open to the public on these HMO controls are planned for October 2012.